4/14/2003
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Easter lilies, those beautiful flowers that signify life and rebirth, can also pose a deadly health hazard to people's pets, especially cats.
"Cats can be poisoned by ingesting just one or two leaves or flowers of the lily," said Wilson Rumbeiha, a Michigan State University veterinary toxicologist.
Symptoms can start within 30 minutes of ingesting leaves or flowers, Rumbeiha said. The first symptom is depression, followed by vomiting, loss of appetite and loss in body weight. Acute renal failure may start at about 48 hours after the animal eats the plant.
"Easter lily poisoning is a problem of indoor cats and affects cats of either sex and all ages," said Rumbeiha, an assistant professor of pathobiology and diagnostic investigation.
From clinical experience, between 50 and 100 percent of cats poisoned by Easter lilies die from the poisoning, he said. This is because the toxin is not yet identified and there is no antidote. Dogs and laboratory animals, such as mice and rats, are reportedly not sensitive to Easter lilies.
Along with the Easter lily, the National Animal and Poison Control Center has identified Tiger lilies and Asiatic hybrid lilies as being toxic. Several other plants in this category also may lead to renal failure in cats.
Pet owners who suspect their cat has ingested Easter lily flowers or leaves should take the animal to a veterinarian as soon as possible.
It is extremely important that early treatment is given before acute renal failure sets in. General supportive therapy, including fluids, has been shown to be very effective if rendered within six hours of ingestion. The odds of recovery are dramatically reduced if treatment is given more than 18 hours after ingestion of Easter lilies.